Financial Times 16,784 by ALBERICH

12 comments on “Financial Times 16,784 by ALBERICH”

1. Started off thinking this is too easy but then encountered lots of beautiful clues, as expected from this setter.

   Loved the surface of TENCH with its play on “smelt”. REDUNDANT was a clever construction. I have been defeated by clues such as 25a in the past but saw it this time – what a wonderful wordplay. NICARAGUA, RICKETS, CLARET & ALPHA all got ticks. For the latter, I took the definition as simply “A”.

2. Thanks for the explanation of 25a, Loonapick – we couldn’t parse it hard though we tried! The logic, once explained, was agonisingly simple.

3. A pleasurable journey from 1a to 26d which was a write-in though the parsing of several had me stumped. ENGARLAND, RICKETS and SIT ON ONE’S HANDS were among the many clues I admired. For 25a, I saw ‘this’ and somehow got a whiff of ANAGRAM, egged on by the crossers though sadly failed to spot the actual anagram. Clever! As for 16, my LOI, I just played around with guest/great and gear/beer/wear until I arrived at the right answer.
   Super fun.
   Thanks to Alberich and Loonapick for the excellent explanations.

4. I’m with Hovis all the way, including the parsing of 26dn. I had all the same ticks – and then some!

   Many thanks to Alberich for a super puzzle and loonapick for a great blog.

5. 1a was a fun opening and set the tone for the puzzle which was most enjoyable . I also failed to parse the very clever 25a and echo Eileen’s thanks to setter and blogger.

6. Alberich does it again – 25a has to be one of the best ever of it’s type. I also had A as the definition for 26d. Lots of other smooth clues in a puzzle that was over too quickly. Thanks to Alberich and loonapick.

7. Despite being unfamiliar with guest beer and Arian, I was able to deduce all the correct answers. I particularly liked 13a. Thanks to Alberich for a wonderful puzzle and to Loonapick for explaining those I couldn’t parse, esp. 25a. Beautiful, once I understood it.
   Like Hovis@1 and Whiteking@6, I interpreted the A at the beginning of 26d to be another definition, in addition to the &lit.

8. I should have, perhaps, made it clearer @1 that, like EdK@USA, the reason I gave a tick to ALPHA was due to “A” as definition + rest as wordplay + the fact that the whole surface works as a definition for alpha testing (prior to the more familiar beta testing).

9. Totally joyful.. just the correct amount of lateral thinking for me … exemplified by 25ac .. but many others also.. last one to fall being the HUNG ARIAN..
   Thanks ALBERICH n loonapick

10. There have been times when I have found Alberich pretty challenging, but this was straightforward and beautifully put together – an unusual number of solutions gave me real pleasure, especially DOUBLET, GUEST BEER, ANAGRAM and PEARL. Well done Alberich.

11. A good crossword need not be tortuous and this is a great example of an accesible crossword with extremely clever wordplay coupled with very readable surfaces. REDUNDANT is a wonderful clue along those lines as is ALPHA, RICKETS, CLARET, and NICARAGUA. Thanks Alberich, and Loonapick for the blog with its explanation of ANAGRAM.

12. Thanks Alberich and loonapick
    Raced through this and was heading toward disappointment until getting held up a bit at the end and then going back to admire the quality of the clue structure.
    Was another who had ‘A’ as the definition with the added whole clue other definition which made it my cod.
    Finished with GUEST BEER (which I didn’t know of, and had to be constructed from the Spoonerism) and the very clever HUNGARIAN as the last one in.

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